Choosing a BC System

Choosing a BC System. Before you begin, put your thinking cap on.

You don’t always dive in the same place. Or do the same kind of diving. As your skills increase, your equipment needs will change. We believe all diving systems should be flexible and have varied capabilities.

At Zeagle we think of equipment not as separate components but as a system. Your gear must fit you in every respect. Virtally all our equipment is based on a modular design concept – all components are compatible with each other. That said, you have to start somewhere. Here are a few things to think about.

Design, Lift and Weight Capacity

What type of diving are you into? Lighter, more compact BC systems are an advantage in warm water diving and for travel, while cold water or deep diving can demand much more lift and weight capacity.

What is your size, and what type of suit will you wear? Larger, heavier divers will need more lift and weight capacity, particularly if they wear a thick wetsuit or a drysuit.

Will you ever dive with twin cylinders? Twin cylinders require a heavier BC designed with a wider back, or a backplate system. Our heavy- duty BCs and backplate systems can all be used with both single and twin cylinders.

Will you dive in varied environments? Many divers travel from cold to warm water, or do both deep and recreational diving. Our modular system allows you to custom tailor your BC’s features by switching components as you go from one diving environment to another.

Personal Fit System™

The Personal Fit System is a system of interchangeable components that allows your Zeagle dealer to custom fit a buoyancy system to your body and your style of diving. Waist size, chest size, and torso length are fitted independently. Although we make women’s BCs, all our buoyancy systems can be custom designed for women’s sizing needs.

This modular approach not only makes it possible to fit many different sizes of diver, but also allows you to alter the characteristics of the BC itself to match the type of diving you do. The amount of lift in the buoyancy system, more or less D-rings on the shoulders, lumbar pads and many other features can all be customized. You can also swap out components later, making your Zeagle BC able to accommodate any changes in your diving needs.

Sizing Tips

Fit in a buoyancy system, particularly a weight integrated system, is critical for performance.

Typical "generic" sizing can't provide a good fit for all divers. The vertical position of both buoyancy and weights on the diver is critical, particularly for rear flotation BCs. They should be positioned low, as close as possible to your body's center of buoyancy. This will allow easy surface flotation and good balance underwater.

Torso length (shoulder to waist dimension) can vary a great deal, even for individuals of the same height. If you are either very short or long waisted in relation to your height or waist size, conventional "generic" sizing may not give you a good fit. Our interchangeable components allow your dealer to fit waist size, torso length, and chest size independently, giving you a personally sized system.

Custom Colors

Be colorful. Make your BC as unique as you are.

At Zeagle we cut and sew BCs in our own Zephyrhills Florida factory, so we can custom make yours to order. Here’s how it works: Nearly every sewn panel of the BC can be ordered in a custom color. The pictures below show just a few of the most interesting customization's we've done.

Like what you see here? For more information on how you can order a custom colored BC, visit your local Zeagle dealer or contact us. Not all colors are available at all times.